Just call 2
by Danym
Summary: Grissom supports Sara any way he can in her new task. [Sequel to Just Call, GSR]


Just call 2

By Dany

Summary: Grissom supports Sara any way he can in her new task.

Rating: K+

A/N: This is a sequel to "Just call". I wrote it a while back, but I completely forgot about it. I know it's late, but I've got to post this anyway.   
It's also a response to a challenge issued by firstdonoharm:  
- "You gone yet?"  
- A new hair cut for someone  
- A tattoo  
- "You scream, I scream, we all scream for Ben and Jerry's ice cream"  
- Dancing  
- "You watch but you don't see"  
- The constellation Orion

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI.

xxxxx

"You scream, I scream, we all scream for Ben and Jerry's ice cream," Sara laughed as Lukas tried to wipe off the ice cream around his mouth.

He was grinning wildly, making it harder to get all of the smears off. It was so funny that even Grissom had to smile.

Today, he was officially invited, as he had been so often in the last few weeks.

Sara had slowly developed a routine, getting used to being a single mom. Now she could understand Catherine a little bit better - but only a little bit. Spending so much time away from her child was something she was trying to avoid. She was still not back at work, but she was making tentative plans to return within the next two weeks.

Grissom had been incredibly supportive, helping her arrange everything. He had been there when she'd had the hearing about the custody and when she'd gone to the doctor's to get rid of Luke's cast. He'd even helped her find a daycare.

With his help, she was able to find one that offered more than just the standard program, where she could be sure that they would keep an eye on him for any irregularities. She wanted to make sure that Lukas was really alright and that when she returned to work, she would be told if he reacted negatively. For now, they were trying it out with her always being on call, but so far it was going well.

Today, Grissom had gone with her to pick up Luke and they had taken him to the park after getting some lunch. Grissom had bought ice cream for everyone, and this was the result.

Lukas had loved it all, part of which was probably Grissom's presence. The boy loved listening to Grissom's lectures about bugs and kept asking him every kind of question.

Sara had to smile, thinking back to similar situations involving Grissom and herself. He was definitely taking after her.

After the ice cream was gone, Lukas looked expectantly at Grissom, his wide eyes asking for attention.

"Do you want to play?"

Enthusiastically, the boy nodded and jumped to his feet.

"What do you want to play?" Grissom brushed his hands off and got up, ready to keep the boy busy.

Sara had him all the time, and if he could relieve her for a couple of minutes, he felt like he was really doing something useful.

"Hide and Seek!"

Grissom looked doubtful, his profession having taught him that it was not safe to leave a child out of sight. Sara's eyes told him that she was thinking about it too. With a nod, she signaled that she would keep an eye on Lukas; not quite the relaxation he had planned for her, but it would have to do.

"You wanna look or hide?"

"I wanna find you!" The boy grinned and turned his back to Grissom.

It had been so long. In fact, he wondered if he had ever played Hide and Seek. It felt awkward, but being playful had gotten easier since he visited Sara and Lukas regularly. However, here in a park, open for everyone to see, it was different.

"You gone yet?"

The hopeful tone in the boy's voice made him move away and 'hide' behind a tree. It wasn't obvious that he was there, but it wouldn't make it too hard for the boy to find him.

Sara watched in fascination as the boy ran all across the park, showing how much energy there was still pent up in him. Hopefully, he would be dead tired by the time they got home. She had underestimated the level of energy that was needed to keep up with a child because he never seemed to tire, and it was worst when she was especially exhausted. If only it were like this all the time. Sharing the burden was a great relief.

"Gotcha!"

She could see the two across the park, but she couldn't see the expressions on their faces. What she saw next was something that she had not expected. Grissom grabbed Luke, threw him over his shoulder and spun him around. The boy's laughter rang like music in her ears, but what surprised and moved her was the low rumble of Grissom's own laugh.

Grissom was happy.

xxxxx

"Grissom, what are you doing here?"

Grissom had come over straight from work and Sara was caught off guard. He kept doing that lately and she has started wondering if there was more to it than being there for a friend.

That thought was quickly locked away again. She didn't want to set herself up for another fall.

"I brought breakfast." He held up a bag which smelled deliciously of fresh bread.

"Thank you." She let him in, and together they began to set up breakfast, when Lukas emerged from the bedroom, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

When the last crusts of sleep where gone, he was able to open his eyes properly and saw Grissom standing in the kitchen. "Grissom!"

His face broke out into a bright smile which was quickly returned. "Morning, bug."

"Hey Luke. Go to the bathroom to get ready. I'll be right there," Sara ordered, hating to break up the party before it even began, but they were on a tight schedule. If they wanted to have a nice breakfast, they needed to hurry.

Luke pouted but did as he was told, strolling into the bathroom.

"What do you have planned for today?" Grissom asked when they were eating breakfast.

"Well, Luke's going to daycare and after that he'll get a new haircut. I have a few appointments in between."

Grissom nodded towards the papers strewn all over the couch. It was hard not to notice what she had been busy with even if he weren't an investigator.

"Yeah, I definitely need a bigger place. I don't even have a second bedroom." Sara had known that for a while, but as long as she hadn't been sure what would happen, she had been really hesitant to make a decision about a new place to live.

"Wise move. It's about time."

Suddenly, she felt better. Although she knew it was right to move, a part of her didn't want to. Somehow she felt that with leaving her 'home,' she was leaving something else behind. If she still had Grissom's support, she could do anything and she wouldn't lose anything important.

"I know I should have done something earlier. I'll never get it done before my leave ends."

"You still have so much paid vacation time that it shouldn't be a problem."

Again, she couldn't tell him how much his support meant to her, so she only rewarded him with a smile.

"Do you need someone to pick Luke up?" Sara thought about his offer, wishing she could take him up on it.

Things would get much easier and she wouldn't have to hurry as much. However, her guilty conscience kept her from saying yes. "No, I'll manage. You need your sleep."

This thing between them was still not defined, and thus fragile. Sara didn't want him to get the feeling that she was only using him. Grissom was spending much time with them, always being there to see if she needed anything. The problem was that, although she reveled in having someone to lean on, he was putting them first. If he was with them during the day and had to work at night, when was he sleeping? She didn't want him to suffer because of his apparent commitment.

"Sara, I want to help." Grissom moved closer to her and, not for the first time, Sara wondered what else he wanted.

"Griss, you've got to be tired. You came here straight form shift, didn't you?"

His eyebrows lifted and she could tell that this time, it was in frustration. Her refusal to accept the offered help hurt him. Why was this so important to him?

He kept staring at her, obviously having no response. "Go home and get some sleep. Please!"

Her plea finally seemed to reach him and he nodded. He got up and went to put away some of their breakfast paraphernalia before turning back to face Sara.

"Well, if I have to go home and sleep although I have the night off…" Sara stared at him, feeling slightly foolish now that she knew that she didn't have to mother him. "…maybe I could do something else tonight. Would you like to go out and have dinner?"

Sara blinked, not sure if she heard correctly. This was what she had wanted to hear for so long and now she wasn't sure if she had really heard it. And, there was the fact that things were never as simple as they seemed with Grissom. He could mean something completely different even if the words seemed clear. Sara didn't know what to say.

Grissom, for once, did the right thing. He did not withdraw, but instead he tried to reassure her. "I want to go out with you. Tonight. Only you and me."

Her mind was arguing with her heart, in which hope began to well up. She had been let down so often that she didn't know if she could trust him.

"I have someone who can babysit. Maybe we can enjoy a couple of hours together."

When her silence continued, he tried with the last argument he had stored up. "Maybe we can talk…about us."

She felt herself nodding, although her common sense told her something else.

"I'll pick you up at seven."

This time, he didn't wait for her reaction. He just smiled.

xxxxx

She was going on a date. With Grissom.

She, Sara Sidle, was going on a date with Gil Grissom. Tonight.

This day couldn't get any better.

Startled out of her reverie, she jumped a bit when the doorbell rang. Her clock on the bedside table told her that it was thirty minutes too early for it to be Grissom, and a hint of fear arose. Maybe it had been too perfect and something had gone wrong.

Hesitantly, she opened the door and was surprised to find Brass on the other side.

"Surprise! I'm your last minute babysitter."

The tension she had been building up all day suddenly poured out and transformed into uncontrollable laughter.

"Glad I could help to amuse you," Brass commented dryly as he walked past Sara into her living room.

Lukas was sitting on the couch, watching some cartoons, but he had looked up when Sara had opened the door. He was now eyeing the new arrival with curiosity, probably assessing if this was going to be a fun evening. After a while, he seemed to have decided that the man was okay. "Hi!"

"Hey, fella. I thought I'd come a bit early so you can tell her to kick me out if you don't like me. Is that okay?"

Sara watched the scene in fascination as Brass tried to gain the boy's trust. She had to admit that Brass was not anywhere near the top of her list of people Grissom could have asked to babysit.

It felt foolish now that Brass was there. Along with Catherine and Doc Robbins, Brass was one of the few people who actually had children. Even if things weren't rosy with his daughter, she still thought that he was a good father.

She trusted Brass and she knew Grissom did too.

Brass had changed since Ellie's childhood and he was a responsible person. If Luke liked him, she didn't need to worry. At that moment, it certainly seemed like he did.

They were talking about the evening with Lukas, arguing the point of his bedtime. Indeed, it looked promising that at last from this side, she and Grissom could spend a nice evening.

"Any instructions?"

Sara blinked, not quite understanding what he meant.

"What, no mile long lists for the babysitter?" Brass teased her, making her smile.

"I think I can spare us the 'don'ts.' Just make sure he's in bed by seven thirty. Technically that's already past his bed time, but he wants to see Grissom."

Brass nodded, turning back to the boy, who couldn't wait to show him his peel-off-tattoo.

"I see I'm not needed here anymore." As she left the room to get ready, she saw Brass looking at her with admiration and she had to admit that it felt good to know that she had picked out the right outfit.

xxxxx

"You look amazing." Grissom couldn't seem to stop saying that as they drove out of the city and into a quieter neighborhood.

It was the third time he said that since Brass had reprimanded him at her apartment. "You look like a fish out of the water, Gil. Time to come up with a compliment for the lady," was the comment that had made Grissom blush and sputter before he forced a 'you look amazing' out.

It seemed to get easier every time, and Sara could only smile in response.

Her curious mind wanted to ask him where they were going, but the rest of her managed restraint, afraid the spell would be broken.

"Come on, ask." Well, this was certainly surprising, although she never doubted he had the ability to read her.

"If you already know, then I don't need to," she countered, feeling a bit vulnerable.

"I didn't say I would answer your question." His teasing smile made her blood boil, but in a good way.

The mood between them turned light and she settled back more relaxed. Grissom followed her lead and his smile was more relaxed.

Sara didn't feel like asking anymore. If Grissom wanted it to be a surprise, she wanted to be surprised…and she was pleasantly surprised when they finally arrived.

Grissom pulled up outside a small restaurant. The house stood apart from the others, surrounded by a large desert garden. It was clearly cultivated, but it didn't feel artificial like the rest of Las Vegas.

He led her around the house into the garden. They stepped onto the veranda where a few tables where set up.

"It's really nice here."

Grissom helped her into her seat very gentleman-like and sat down right beside her. "I know. That's why I picked it out."

Suddenly he began to fidget uncharacteristically, but Sara guessed he was expecting the 'talk' to begin now.

"Let's order first," she said, wanting to ease the mood. Her desire to bring back the usually stoic Grissom won out over her curiosity to see where this could lead them.

The menu looked simple, but they both found something that sounded promising, and soon the waiter appeared to take their orders.

Before she could start a conversation to distract him, Grissom spoke up right after the waiter was gone. "I'm glad that you let me help you."

That wasn't quite the opening she had expected, but then, she was willing to take anything he gave her.

"I hope I haven't been too pushy, but I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

For a few seconds, Sara had to fight the urge to tell him off because he wanted to control her, but she was able to repress her automatic response in favor for a more rational approach. Grissom wasn't manipulative like that.

"I…I appreciate the effort. At the beginning I didn't think I could 'swim' and would drown."

"You've gotten much more comfortable with the whole situation."

Sara nodded, smiling as she thought of her nephew. "We'll see how comfortable I am once I return to work."

"I'm sure you'll do fine."

His supportive words made something click in her. Despite their nice chat, she couldn't ask the things she wanted to ask.

Looking at Grissom, she knew she had to know, even if it ruined the evening. "What are we doing here?"

At first, Grissom was silent and she could practically see him thinking, but then he seemed to have reached a decision. She could read in his eyes that his impulse to protect himself was stronger than everything else at the moment.

"Please don't say having dinner or something like that. For once just tell me what this is really about." She felt vulnerable in her plea, but she took comfort in the fact that his eyes had grown soft. Maybe she would get a truthful answer.

"You want to know if I actually invited you out on a date. To see what happens." Grissom paused briefly, waiting for her reaction, but when none came, he answered himself. "I've always wanted to see what happens, but I never had the courage."

Sara swallowed hard, knowing that the moment of truth had actually come.

"I kept watching and waiting, not knowing what to do."

When he didn't continue, Sara spoke up but looked away. "You watch but you don't see."

She knew that he was hurt by her words, although they both knew it was the truth. He hadn't seen that what she wanted from him was nothing complicated. She only wanted him to try.

She could hear his ragged breathing as he probably beat himself up and she couldn't take it anymore.

"Look now and see me!" her low voice had an effect as if she had shouted those words.

Grissom looked away first, shocked at her words, but then his head turned slowly and his eyes met hers.

For a few minutes, he couldn't let go of her, willing to see all there was. In the end, he realized that now matter how hard he tried, he would never see the whole of her. But that wasn't necessary.

He only needed to see what she was telling him, and right now it was that she wanted nothing more than to be with him.

He should be able to do that.

xxxxx

When he drove even further away from the city into the darkness, Grissom was relieved that his inability to form the words he really wanted to say hadn't ruined the whole evening.

After they had gotten that serious conversation out of the way, he was actually able to relax and enjoy their meal, making some light conversation. He even dared to get close to her when the soft background music had turned loud enough to dance to it.

He had gathered all of his courage, silenced the little doubts that remained, and asked her to join him for a slow dance. Once they both had pushed their reservations aside that had them fumbling and stumbling at the close contact, it was heaven.

He never wanted to let her go again, and that scared him a bit, almost making him pull away. However, Sara must have sensed the onset of his panic and pulled him even closer to her, softly whispering that she would be there for him, just like he had been there for her.

Her soothing voice and her promise calmed him and soon he was able to enjoy the proximity again. Life was good.

He didn't want to lose that feeling, this putting the next part of his grand scheme for the evening in motion…and that's how they got here.

Not once had Sara opened her mouth to ask him where they were going, which surprised him. She seemed totally relaxed, having closed her eyes. When he pulled off of the highway, she opened them again and looked out.

He knew the question must have been burning on her tongue, but she leaned back and smiled at him.

Lucky for her it wouldn't be much longer until they reached their destination. He only hoped she liked it.

xxxxx

When Grissom stopped the car, Sara glanced around curiously, but she seemed disappointed when she looked back at him.

He almost had to laugh at her confused and lost look, but held it in. That would certainly not be constructive to the end of the evening.

"It's not out there, it's _up_ there." He motioned through the roof and smiled at her.

It didn't take long for her to understand what he was getting at, and she returned his smile.

Grissom shut off the lights and got out of the car, closely followed by Sara. She was already looking up when he came to stand next to her, so he did the same.

This was why he had driven so far out of the city. The darkness made the display before them even more beautiful.

"How good were you in astronomy?" Sara asked after they had watched the stars in silence for a few minutes.

His non-committal shrug of the shoulders was only dimly recognizable, but Sara wouldn't have taken that at face value anyway. "Will you tell me something about them?"

When he remained reluctantly silent, Sara tried once again to encourage him. "Why don't you tell me something about Orion?"

He knew that it wasn't really about telling her what he knew. It was about telling and ultimately giving. So he did what she asked.

He soon found out that he had been right. Sara didn't need any lectures in astronomy.

When he faltered after his explanation about Orion, she took over telling him about Cassiopeia. Her knowledge never stopped amazing him almost as much as her will to learn. They were so much alike in some aspects and seemingly miles apart in others.

And so they went on, taking turns in picking constellations.

They were steadily drifting closer until Sara was able to lean back into him as he tried to show her a particular star. He did not back away, reveling in the closeness, soaking up her warmth and her scent.

In fact, he liked it enough to overcome the last doubts and let all of his inhibitions go.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kept her as close to him as possible. At that moment, he couldn't focus on the stars anymore. The only thing he saw was that even in the dark Sara was beautiful.

When she finished speaking, she waited for him to take his turn, but he didn't. Instead, he kept staring at her as if she was the most interesting constellation of all. Whatever spell he was under, she didn't dare move and risk him pulling away.

The silence continued for a few minutes until Grissom finally spoke. "The most beautiful star of all cannot be found up there."

Sara blushed, totally surprised by the compliment. He seemed to have a knack for blindsiding her like that. But unlike the times before, she was able to trust his words. He had never let her down in the last few weeks, and the trust that had suffered since she had arrived in Las Vegas had had the chance to grow again.

"Why don't you tell me something about that star?" It was risky to challenge him, but she felt safe in this situation.

"It's beautiful. It radiates so much warmth and it has that special aura that draws everyone in. Especially the moon that is circling around it."

At his last words, he burrowed his face in her neck, gently kissing it. Sara couldn't find a comeback for that. It was so incredibly cheesy and so not Grissom.

"I love you."

She thought she had heard him whisper these words into her hair, but this was too big a step to toy with, so she had to be sure. Taking a deep breath she asked, "Grissom, are you…?"

"Shhh…" He silenced her by tightening his embrace, making her listen. "I.Love.You."

He turned her around, wanting to be face to face with her. "Never doubt that again."

She looked up and saw that he willed her to believe it with his eyes. He really did love her.

"I love you too."

The end


End file.
